The stave, also called the staff, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different note or musical pitch (Fig 1). The name of the note is determined by the type of clef that appears at the beginning of the stave.

In the case of the commonly-used treble clef, and the treble stave that it signifies, the pitches are assigned as in Fig 2.

On the bass stave, indicated by the bass clef, the notes are arranged as in Fig 3.

The grand stave is the combination of the treble and bass staves (Fig 4).

See also ledger lines.